Commissioner Sarah Heard

Sarah Heard was raised on a farm and in a small town in southern Illinois. One of five children, while growing up she appreciated rolling hills, woods full of exploring possibilities, lakes in which to fish and swim, ample free time to roam with just enough chores to teach responsibility at an early age.

Sarah attended the University of Illinois in Champaign and graduated from Texas A&M’s Corpus Christi campus with a major in literature and a minor in history.

In her business career, Sarah has been a public relations executive for a travel research and marketing company in St. Paul, Minnesota. In Rota, Spain she was the director of Rota Community College, a not-for-profit education center.

Sarah married Jeffrey Heard in 1980. He was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Boca Raton. Jeffrey is a pilot, first for the Navy and currently with Delta Airlines; consequently they lived in many locations. However, when it was time to settle down, they explored the possibilities in Florida, but kept returning to Martin County and made it their home.

Elected as a Martin County Commissioner in 2002, Sarah has served on the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council, the County Coalition for Responsible Management of Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries, the Pal Mar Water Control District Board, and the Marine Resources Council. Commissioner Heard is the recipient of the Commissioner of the Year Award for her stance on managing growth, and the Public Service Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to protect the Indian River Lagoon and Martin County’s Comprehensive Plan. In 2011 she received the Community Steward Award from 1000 Friends of Florida for her consistent advocacy for maintaining the integrity of the Martin County comprehensive plan. She served on the Canvassing Board in 2004, 2008, for a special election in 2009, and again from 2011-2013. Sarah has served as the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners from 2012-2014. In 2016, the League of Women Voters presented the Susan B. Anthony Award to Sarah Heard for outstanding leadership in recognition of her efforts to protect Martin County.